Preparation H - Formulations

Formulations

Consumers now expect a drug product with a certain name, like Preparation H, to contain one drug. If it is a combination of drugs, they expect it to always be the same combination. Preparation H doesn't work that way; you have to read the label to know what you're getting. In other words, it has several formulations. For example, some are in a water-based gel, while some are petroleum jelly-based. It can come as a suppository, or as a medicated wipe. The active ingredients range from simple moisturizers with witch-hazel astringent to preparations containing drugs such as phenylephrine, pramoxine, and hydrocortisone. Some also contain inactive ingredients such as aloe vera, shark liver oil, and yeast extract. Formulations available vary from one country to another. In other words, if your dad swore by Preparation H, it may not be quite the same thing as you now find on the shelf at your drugstore.

Today, some Preparation H products have phenylephrine, a drug that constricts blood vessels, as active ingredient, in a 0.25% concentration. This drug is more commonly used as a decongestant in cold medications, since restricting blood flow in the sinuses will reduce the amount of mucus and/or liquid flow they create, in runny noses. Because hemorrhoids are caused by inflamed blood vessels, restricting the blood flow may well reduce the size of the swelling, and reduce the pain or discomfort the person feels. Another version of Preparation H has hydrocortisone as its only active ingredient, in a 1% concentration. Again, hydrocortisone reliably reduces inflammation and swelling. A witch hazel medicated wipe is also available under the Preparation H brand.

The Canadian formulation of Preparation H includes a yeast extract called BioDyne, which has been removed from the formulation previously sold in the United States in 1995. This yeast extract is believed by Pfizer to remove wrinkles from skin and heal dry, cracked, and irritated skin. The Canadian formulation has acquired a market in the United States as a skin cream with an anti-wrinkle active ingredient.

In the 1960s, Preparation H used the droll slogan "Effective even in cases of long standing". The double meaning may have eased suffering by giving listeners or readers a bit of a smile. The current tag line, "I Should Have Used Preparation H," is a registered trademark, but will never cause a chuckle because of being clever.